IMPORTANT: Lets talk Cap & Trade and how Tennessee's Reps voted

[Guest ab28]

Of course one has to "forget" the higher cost of producing the ethanol. It can't be sent via the pipelines because of the high water content ergo must be trucked to be mixed with gasoline, hardly a "saving". The use of grains diverted to make ethanol have increased cost of food formerly made from those grains. Ethanol can never replace gasoline since the demand for fuel exceeds the acreage needed even if every piece of land were devoted to growing grain just for fuel (to include land not currently in use).

Biodiesel is a much more efficient fuel but some of the same problems apply there as well.

Ethanol can be made from switchgrass and sugar cane. Another professor in the chem department is working on getting bacteria to produce it. I agree that producing it from corn and grains is a bad idea. A gallon of ethanol has 70% of the energy density of gasoline. I don't see ethanol replacing gasoline, but every other bit of alternative energy can help a little bit. An example of this is I go hiking, I am learning foraging, which plants I can use for medicines and food. I do not use these plants to completely replace my food supply, but I can forage enough to make a couple of meals. The same idea applies here, if we can replace 15%(just a number I threw out there) of gasoline usage with other fuels, then it will help. We can also reduce energy consumption by driving less, and driving smaller vehicles. Not everyone needs a 4 door dually. Sure, it is great as a work truck, but just a drive around vehicle? I am not against anyone owning whatever car or truck they want. By all means, if they want a Hummer, drive one, whatever. But if we don't reduce our energy consumption, we only have ourselves to blame.

[macville]

How about instead of focusing on things we have to grow and are subject to a bad crop year, let's focus on using solar energy... Last time I checked it's far more consistent.

Matthew

[Smith]

How about instead of focusing on things we have to grow and are subject to a bad crop year, let's focus on using solar energy... Last time I checked it's far more consistent.

Matthew

Because the technology isn't there yet. Nuclear and Hydro are still the best options ATM. Any crop we use is going to immediately and severely (in the negative) impact world food supply and prices. You think gas prices are an issue? Just wait. The folks in South America can already tell you about the price of tortilla's. Doesn't sound like a big deal for them, but you figure they make $1 - $5 a day and tortilla's are all they can afford at $2-3 a day.......... not good.

[dunndw]

Those of us that live in our cars will have to buy "carbon credits" from some welfare hag sitting around collecting money for squirting out baby after baby from various baby daddies just to make service calls.

That means our prices will have to go up in order to pay for all the added expenses. Small businesses will fire the low hanging fruit, which will put more carbon credits on the market for people to buy. Wonder how hard it will be to fake carbon credits? Wonder it it'll be like a WIC debit card...nahh...just a chip embedded in your forehead

Can someone tell me again why we're not in the streets with pitchforks

[BrasilNuts]

Because the technology isn't there yet. Nuclear and Hydro are still the best options ATM. Any crop we use is going to immediately and severely (in the negative) impact world food supply and prices. You think gas prices are an issue? Just wait. The folks in South America can already tell you about the price of tortilla's. Doesn't sound like a big deal for them, but you figure they make $1 - $5 a day and tortilla's are all they can afford at $2-3 a day.......... not good.

I agree with what you are saying here, Nuclear is the way to go IMO.

Most South Americans don't eat tortillas, not saying they don't use corn though. If we did start using corn and the prices rose very much I don't think it would last long because more people would start growing it and the supply would rise thus lowering the price again.

[ukerduker]

No, actually the war of independence was over a tax that amounted to about 2%, without any representation of the people in the parliament. The royal governers pretty much passed any law they wanted, damn what the people thought.

This bill is what the SECOND war of independence will be about.

Let's get this revolution started already. I fear people will become too climatized to this crap and just suck it up and deal with it. On any given day, I watch 15 mins of news and I'm hoping Al Queda gets their dirty bomb into the city limits of DC. It would give a redefining meaning to the word ironic. All this cap & trade crap is simply another vehicle for the Left to tax the hell out of us and gain political power. I'm all for reducing pollutants, but when you classify C02 as a pollutant (something that happens naturally) I have to disagree. I guess they didnt learn anything with the stimulus. READ THE D&MN BILL!!!!

[BrasilNuts]

This bill may be the spark.

[Guest cowboy20th]

Terrorist attack us? That is a funny joke.

They are all too busy laughing at us right now. You see we have simply misunderstood Obama from day one. His plan was to end terrorism against the United States. The way he was to achieve this was to destroy anything that the terrorist might actually attack. Financial system, check. Any sort of tangible industry, check. Now all he has left to do is make us all leave the country so they don't have anyone they can target. Which is where cap and trade comes in.

See guys we just had it all wrong, its part of a brilliant plan to defend against terrorism. Book your flights for cannada now, by christmas they will all be full.

[Guest SUNTZU]

I ain't leavin.

[BrasilNuts]

I ain't leavin.

If I had a nice river view I wouldn't leave either.

[Guest SUNTZU]

The fishing IS nice...too bad the van is so cramped.

[Guest redbarron06]

Response from Sen Cooper,

Thank you for writing to me about the American Clean Energy and Security Act, H.R. 2454.

This bill is a first step towards ending our nation's dependence on foreign oil. Presidents have been asking us to address our addiction to Middle Eastern oil since 1973, and both President Obama and John McCain supported a cap and trade program like this in last year's election.

I understand your concerns about the effects this bill might have on your energy costs. However, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has determined this bill will only cost households about fifty cents a day, while creating new incentives to develop renewable sources of energy. There are five separate consumer protection provisions within the bill, and efficiency measures will reduce electricity costs over the long term.

This bill is a long way from becoming law, but it is an important first step towards a 21st century economy that best serves our children and grandchildren. Thank you again for getting in touch with me to express your concerns. I truly appreciate hearing them.

Sincerely,

Jim Cooper

This bill is based on unproven science that gets even more faulty every day. It will cost jobs in this state. The CBO admitted the study only shows the effects in the first year. Other studies show that gas can increase 5 more dollars and the price of the eletricity for your house can go up $6800 per year. In addition to all of this, in Spain where they have already tried this, unemployement has risen to more than 20%. Twice the avarage of the rest of eurpoe. For each new job it created 2.5 jobs were lost. With the 300 page ammendment, that was added at 3AM the friday the house voted on it, it requires every new house built to meet Komiefirnia building standards, and requires a federal inspector to approve the sale of your home on the private market. If it does not meet the greenie standard then the govt can deny you the sale.

The EPA is under investigation for hiding the results of a sudy that says "manmade global warming" is unproven science. Even GREENPEACE has come out and said that this bill is a bad idea.

We need to make sure he understands that he works for us and not for BHO or John McCain. We need to melt the freaking phone lines down at his office. He is supposed to be working for us not against us.

Edited June 30, 2009 by redbarron06

[Guest SUNTZU]

For fifty cents a day we're supposed to get rid of all the hungry kids in Africa, too.

[Tim Nunan]

Ethanol can be made from switchgrass and sugar cane. Another professor in the chem department is working on getting bacteria to produce it. I agree that producing it from corn and grains is a bad idea. A gallon of ethanol has 70% of the energy density of gasoline. I don't see ethanol replacing gasoline, but every other bit of alternative energy can help a little bit. An example of this is I go hiking, I am learning foraging, which plants I can use for medicines and food. I do not use these plants to completely replace my food supply, but I can forage enough to make a couple of meals. The same idea applies here, if we can replace 15%(just a number I threw out there) of gasoline usage with other fuels, then it will help. We can also reduce energy consumption by driving less, and driving smaller vehicles. Not everyone needs a 4 door dually. Sure, it is great as a work truck, but just a drive around vehicle? I am not against anyone owning whatever car or truck they want. By all means, if they want a Hummer, drive one, whatever. But if we don't reduce our energy consumption, we only have ourselves to blame.

Since there is no way we can produce enough ethanol without adversely affecting our food supply to an even greater degree than it is currently doing one has to wonder why there is an import tax on the Brazilian ethanol of at least $.50 per gallon, virtually killing the import. Guess saving the planet doesn't override agricultural economics.

The politicians keep stating we have to reduce our dependence on foreign oil so… DRILL HERE and DRILL NOW!

[Mark@Sea]

Don't worry, folks. The same rigorous scientific standards practiced by people who meditate on chunks of crystal quartz to improve their love life, finances, and cure BO were used in writing this bill. Sure, gas will go to $7.50 a gallon, your electric bill will grow by a factor of about 2.5, and all those little luxuries produced, transported, stored and sold with the use of electricity and petroleum products will get just a tad more expensive, but hey, we'll be saving baby seals or something.

Personally, I do think we should stop clubbing baby seals. I can think of another group at the moment with an overriding demand for the practice.

[DavidD]

I'm not a big Glen Beck fan but :

YouTube - Glenn Beck "Global Warming Is A Fact" NO Says Dr. Alen Carlin's EPA Report

[G27]

Oh, it's better than junk science - this bill is full of socialist funding!

Cap and Trade Extras - Jamie Dupree on wsbradio.com

[Guest ab28]

I am in doubt about the whole global warming thing, but irregardless, if people think we can keep pumping pollutants into the air, and dumping garbage everywhere, and slashing rainforests, ect, and expecting nothing to happen, well, they need to wake up.